


Feels like Home

by RaychelRay



Category: Brave (2012), Disney - All Media Types, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Again, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, It's kinda my specialty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2018-12-09 10:51:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11667639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaychelRay/pseuds/RaychelRay
Summary: Two Scots, who were recently enemies, must work together to navigate the dangerous land of Storybrooke as they battle against the still looming threat of Arthur and the Underworld, all the while trying to find a way home and deal with the new growing feelings for each other. (Follows the AU prompt of Macintosh coming to Storybrooke with Merida.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After being released by the Dark One and having her memories restored, Merida is also given the news that she wasn't the only Scot to be brought over by the Dark One's curse. But there's no way he purposefully got caught up in order to save her...right?  
> Follows immediately after the last scene of "The Bear and The Bow" Episode. (PS if there is any Game of Thrones fans here, this was definitely inspired by the Jon and Sansa reunion :))

“I know you can’t resist making a deal” Rumpelstiltskin said smugly as he walked past the Dark One and over to the stone, “So how about I pull out Excalibur, in exchange for Merida’s heart?”

“And my brother’s” Merida immediately interjected, “I want to know what happened to them.“

“You really think you’re in a position to make deals?”

“That’s exactly what I think.”

Emma didn’t say anything as she pulled out Merida’s heart and began to crush it slightly. Merida gasped initially at the painful compression that she had felt so many times before now, but she refused to cry or whimper at the pain, even as she knees began to buckle slightly. But the Dark One then surprised Merida by shoving her heart back into her chest. Merida took a deep breath of air, feeling complete once again.

“I was finished with this anyway” The Dark one had the nerve to then say.

“And her brothers?”

“They’re fine, safe and sound by their mother’s side.”

“How do I know yer not lyin’?” Merida then asked as she took another step forward so she stood right in front of Emma, though Belle did grab her arm to try and pull her back.

“Maybe I should just crush your heart.” Emma said coolly, “You’re certainly spitting in the face of my honesty and really testing my patience.”

“I’ve tested a lot more in the past,” Merida spat out, “And it’s the least you can after everything you’ve put me through…that’s what a person with good inside them would do anyways.”

The Dark one turned back to her, her piercing eyes boring into hers, but Merida refused to break contact and even angled her arm to get ready to cover her chest in case Emma went for her usual underhanded move. Emma however simply lifted up one hand, and after a puff of black smoke cleared, she now held a glowing dream catcher.

“You are no threat to me anyway,” She said in a snarky tone of voice as she waved a hand over the dreamcatcher and Merida felt as the wave of her lost memories crashed into her.

* * *

 

“You’re sure you can’t remember anything more?” Belle asked as they continued to walk down the weird stone road through the mysterious town of Storybrooke.

“I’m sorry, all I remember is that you lot were all with Merlin, after Arthur had just betrayed ye, and ye were goin’ to find a way to save Emma.” Merida replied, trying hard to sound disappointed for her friend’s sake, but she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face knowing that she had not only saved her brothers, but also had been officially crowned as Queen of DunBroch.

“No wonder she felt confident enough to give you back your memories, the others have already figured out that much too.” Belle must have been referring to when she talked to that David guy through her communication box.

“Sorry about hittin’ ye in head with that rock by the way.”

“What?”

“Nothin’.” Merida waved off, no use in trying to apologize for something Belle couldn’t even remember, “So, I’m really the only with my memories back?”

“Yes, well you and that guy Macintosh.”

“Right…Macintosh.”

After they left the Dark One’s cave, Gold or Rumple or whatever his name was exactly, left to go back to clean up his shop and take care of his leg. Merida thanked them both and started to head back to her camp in the woods, but Belle quickly informed her that Macintosh was here too and had been looking for this whole time. Merida snorted, there was no way that oaf was here doing that. True, she had thought she had heard his voice call out to her before she got swept up by the curse, but he would have had time to outrun it since it only went as far a Camelot’s borders. There was no way he would have purposefully stayed behind to get caught up like she did.

“What I told you earlier is true though,” Belle then interjected, “He arrived the same time as everyone else did, but was the only one who retained his memories.”

“How is that possible?”

“He was protected from the curse by a magical bracelet with a carving of a bear on it.”

“The witch” Merida said with a scowl, she was still slightly bitter about the old crone’s trick.

Belle nodded as she continued on, “Macintosh told me he was visited by the witch who offered him–”

“Wait, he was visited by her?”

“Yep,” Belle replied, “Said the witch gave him a choice to know his near future or yours, and he chose you. The witch told him you were in immediate danger of getting captured by the Dark One and took off to find you.”

Merida’s mouth dropped open in shock, “No he didnae, h-he wouldnae have…”

Belle laughed, “He did though, said the witch gave him the bracelet to help him out and he went off to get you, but you got swept up in the curse just as he found you.”

Merida scoffed, “I still have a hard time believin’ that he would–”

**“Long live Queen Merida!” Macintosh exclaimed as he led everyone in an astounding cheer that filled Merida up with pride and confidence.**

“Is it really that impossible to believe?” Belle asked intently, “You two seem close with the way he’s talked about you.”

“Well…we’ve known each other since we were babes, but we have a very complicated history to say the least.”

**“I know I cannae make up for what I did to you or yer family, but I am truly sorry and humbly beg for yer forgiveness, and offer up my services in any way you may need me.”**

Merida began to nervously pull at the charms that hung from her bow, “A-and if he was smart he would have just ignored the witch, because he knows all magic comes with a price and who knows what the witch could ask for–”

**“I’ve only seen one person make a sacrifice like that, and it was yer father.”**

“Well if you think he’s lying, you can ask him yourself,” Belle said as she stopped and pointed to a building with a glowing sign that said _Granny’s Diner_. “He’s in there right now with the others.”

Merida swallowed hard before she straightened up her posture and said determinedly, “I will.”

Merida kept her head high and walked down the pathway with the same confidence that her mother always seemed to have. However, it didn’t stop her newly restored heart from beating madly in her chest. I mean, there was no way what Belle said was real. As soon as she saw him, he would blame her for the mess they were in, and even call her a moron and ill-fit ruler.

**“We couldnae let our Queen fall,” He said as he instantly took a knee in front of her.**

No, no, no. The Dark One must have tampered with her memories, there was no way the narcissistic and egotistic Lord Macintosh would say something like that.

Right?

Merida swung the door open wide and entered with Belle right behind her. She immediately found the heroes she had first met just a couple of weeks ago. A woman with short black hair, Mary Margaret if she was correct, was the first to see them as she was facing the direction of the door. She quickly got the attention of a man sitting in front of her, said something Merida couldn’t hear, and pointed back over to the two of them.

Merida almost didn’t recognize him at first. From the back, she could see that his kilt was gone and replaced him a shirt and pants that matched what the other men of this realm usually wore. But when he looked over his shoulder, it was definitely his face with his ridiculously styled hair. And when he stood up abruptly, causing the table to loudly scrape against the floor, she could see the squiggly lines of his blue woad on his arm. It was really him.

Any speech or remark Merida had planned to say to him vanished, and she felt like her feet were nailed down to the floor. Macintosh was just as speechless as her though as he kept his eyes solely on hers and walked slowly over to her until they had only a couple of feet of distance between them.

Merida could feel that the entire diner’s attention was on them, but Macintosh and her just kept staring at each other with wide eyes and open mouths like a couple of eejits.

Macintosh however managed to then give her a small, awkward smile. The same one he had given her after he defended her against Arthur and…

**“If you’re not fit to lead the clans, no one is.”**

And with that, Merida completely lost her composure as she stepped towards him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Macintosh responded immediately as he lifted her off the ground, hooked her legs around his waist to keep her firmly in place, and embraced her strongly in return.

Merida knew that it was completely inappropriate to be clutching not just a man, but a man who had up until recently had been her enemy, in front of a crowd of people. But after being on her own in a strange place for weeks now, with her life literally in the palm of the Dark One’s hand, and unsure of the safety of her family; it was so good to be with someone she knew, someone she even considered a good friend at one point in time.

She buried her face in his shoulder and inhaled his scent. He still smelled like the freshly dug earth, leather, sweat, and sea spray of DunBroch. His arms were as strong as the castle walls, and his body as warm as the fires in her bedchamber.

A shaky, relieved sigh then escaped her as his hand began to rub small comforting circles on her back and they continued to hold each other tightly. She knew that their respectable roles as Queen and Lord, and whatever bad blood they may still have between them would return as soon as they parted.

But for now, he felt like home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark One Hook is reeking havoc by marking unfortunate victims to be sent to the Underworld, including a certain Scotsman. Too bad his Queen isn't going to let this happen without a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during Episode 5x11. Thanks so much scottishdreamergirl for proofreading this and "Scottish-ing" it up :)

“Yer givin' up?!” Merida screamed at David, “ How c'n ye even say somethin' like that when it's your fault tha' Mac's been marked by that crazy, one-handed Dark One like the rest of ye!?”

“Look, Snow and I have faced a lot of battles in our lifetime, but losing Emma, our daughter, that has been the hardest battle we’ve ever lost,” David choked out.

Macintosh could at least understand where he was coming from. He had been in the Charmings’ company for the past couple of weeks, and all they did every minute of every day was try and figure out how to release Emma from her darkness. And so far, the failures had far outweighed the successes.

“And so maybe…maybe this is just one fight we can’t win,” David said weakly as his eyes turned back to Granny’s Diner where the rest of his family was already inside. They had just been walking through the door when Macintosh and Merida had ambushed them to find out what the plan was with the knowledge they got from the Queen’s vault. Only for them to disappointingly discover that there really was no plan.

“So, we decided that for now, we would rather enjoy what little time we had left before getting separated from our family, again. Then, we’ll just have hope that we can fight through whatever comes next in order to make it some way back to Emma and Neal.”

“Hope? Hope!?” Merida yelled, “Yer gonna base all o' this on somethin' as fleetin' as hope?!”

As Merida continued to yell at David, Macintosh could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t going to change his mind. He had seen that look of defeat dozens of times on older men’s faces who had long ago lost the bloodthirst for glory and victory. Then again, David was apparently a lot older than he looked.

It was clear that this lot had made their decision. But Macintosh had made his as well.

“Your majesty.” Macintosh then interrupted Merida in a stern tone, “ **Enough**.”

Before she could retaliate with her spit fire, Macintosh held out a hand to David. “Thank you for your help and hospitality during my time here.”

David gave him a sad smile before clasping his hand, “Of course, if the Underworld is anything like Rumpelstiltskin described, then we’re in for a hell of a battle.”

Merida looked between the two of them with her jaw dropped, “Wait, you’re not seriously--”

Macintosh chuckled as he dropped his hand back to his side, “I'm no' one tae back down from a challenge. I'll ha' my sword ready.”

“Would you just--”

“You’re both welcome to join us for dinner” David continued, “We’re still waiting for Emma to join us.”

“Are ye out of yer--?”

“Thanks, but I ha' tae decline.”

David nodded, “Good luck.”

Macintosh nodded in return, “Likewise.”

With that, David turned around to head back inside the diner.

Once the door shut close, Merida whipped around to face him, her long hair hitting him as she did. She crossed her arms and puffed out her chest to make herself look bigger, though, to him, she had always been small.

“Well?”

“Well?”

“Didnae realise ye were a doaty, numpty, coward!”

Mac groaned at her childish jabs, “I know what yer tryin' tae do, an' it's no' goin' tae work.”

Merida growled, “Wha' will stop ye frae givin' up?”

“I'm no' givin' up! It's … just gonna be a waste o' precious time tryin' tae convince them on somethin' they've already made their minds up on.”

Merida sighed heavily, blowing one of her stray curls from her face. “So what are we gonna dae then?”

“You're no doin' anythin'.” Macintosh said as he pulled off the bear bracelet and put it in Merida’s hand, “Gi' this back tae the witch when ye get home. Dinnae want tae put you or the Kingdom in unnecessary danger thanks tae my debt.”

“...You sure yer no' givin' up?” Merida said as she held up the bracelet, “'Cause it sounds awfy like it.”

“I'm … tryin' tae look at this wi' a clear mind.” Macintosh explained as he slowly began to walk away from her. Though with every step he took back, she took two towards him. “No matter wha' happens, ye need tae be as far awa' as ye can.”

“Why? Think I cannae handle myself?” Merida said challengingly.

Mac pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Wha' are ye gonna do? Try an' shoot at all the Dark Ones?” He asked, “...How's that bump on yer head?”

Merida glared at him as she touched the small cut that was on the side of her forehead from when Hook had thrown her back earlier, causing her to slam against the fireplace. She looked like she wanted to argue that it was because he had snuck up on her that she couldn’t hit him, but they both knew by now that you couldn’t even hit a Dark One at point blank, regardless of skill or weapon.

It was his fault too that she had gotten hurt, he should have been with her then. He should have been with her since the beginning.

“An' ye think ye could dae better?” She then asked.

“It's no about bein' better. It's about why I came here in the first place – getting you hame in one piece.” Macintosh said as he closed her fingers around the bracelet, “Those faeries ha' been tryin' to find everyone a way hame. But if they dinnae work... then there's hags, an' Queens, an' even that friend o' yers c'n help out.”

Merida then took another step forward so that she now stood uncomfortably close to him. “And you?”

Again, Macintosh could easily tell what Merida was trying to do. She was daring for him to give her some promise about coming back to her, about fighting through fire and brimstone, and slaying hundred-headed monsters until he was by her side. Anything gallant really to give her a reason to further tell him off and try and one up him. Not that she ever really needed a reason to do it anyway. But he knew better, he wasn’t a foolish hero, he was a Macintosh Laird.

“Most important thing is tha' you get home.” He calmly answered. “Yer Mum is good at keepin' the peace – she always had been. But, the sooner yer back, the better fae the Kingdom.”

“Here,” Macintosh then pulled off his clan ring that was engraved with his family crest, “Gi' this tae my sister, Morag. She'll be actin' regent fer... however long we need.”

Once Macintosh dropped the ring into her other hand, he began to walk away quickly. He began trying to form a plan in his mind as he contemplated whether he should just go back to Granny’s Inn and grab his bow or rely just on his sword. If he had a second sword he would feel much better, he always fought better with two.

Suddenly he felt something hard whack him in the back of the head.

Macintosh grunted in pain and rubbed the throbbing bump that was forming. He looked down to see the bear bracelet and his ring on the ground. He turned around to see that

Merida’s whole body had gone stiff with her clenched fists shaking.

“Ye cannae dae that!” She screamed, “Ye fuckin' eejit! Ye cannae suddenly try tae leave wi' this chivalrous, gallant bravade an' try tae make that hang o'er my head!”

Macintosh sighed as he leaned down to pick up the items. And here he thought he had avoided that, “I'm just tryin' tae fo wha's necessary. So would ye stop bein' so stubborn an' let me?”

“No!” Merida continued as she angrily stomped over to him, “Ye shouldnae ha' pushed me out o' the way in the first place!”

“Yer the Queen! It's my job tae serve you!”

“Then, as Queen, I order you no' to leave my side 'till we get home!” Merida commanded as she harshly poked his chest with each word.

Macintosh rubbed his face in exasperation but complied, “Fine. How do we stop the Dark Ones?”

“I…I don’t know.” Merida’s eyes shifted around nervously. “But, Belle and Gold’s shop! There is a ton of magical items we could use to fight back against--”

“No.” Mac interrupted firmly, “No more magic.”

“What? What do you mean no magic!?” Merida exclaimed, “How are we supposed to defeat something magical without magic to help us.”

“Because all magic comes with a price.” Macintosh answered back, “So unless you’re willing to pay it, it’s the most senseless plan to have right now.”

Merida stiffened. "Yer actin' like a bastard."

“Perfect,” Macintosh said bluntly as he turned and began to walk away.

“Oye, hold on boyo!” Merida immediately caught up and grabbed his arm, “I’m not done with you!”

Macintosh growled softly as he looked up to the sky, the moon was almost at its peak, Charon would be here soon. There wasn’t much time left. At least he already had his sword strapped to his back.

“Look, you came to my aid selflessly when I was cornered by Arthur,” Merida said with a more even tone, she was trying her best to be calm now. “At least let me return the favor to you now.”

“That’s not how it works. You’re my Queen--”

Merida held up a hand to silence him, "Ye've still got a hame an' family waitin' for ye. Yer Da' an' sisters must be out of their mind wi' worry."

Macintosh compressed his lips into a thin line and averted his gaze. “They…they probably aren’t.”

“What!?” Merida laughed loudly, “You’re the precious heir and loving older brother, of course, they miss you.”

Macintosh swallowed thickly and continued to stare at the ground.

“Hey,” Merida said as her hand that was still on his forearm tightened its grip, “What aren’t you telling me?”

_You’ll absolutely detest me if I say it, my Queen._

“Mac?”

_Don’t say my name like that. Not now._

Mac took a deep breath as he met Merida’s gaze. Her eyes were now surprising gentle and concerned. He hadn’t received that look from her in a very long time. And Gods were those bright green eyes making it hard for him to walk away from her again.

Before Mac could even think about his next move though, the mark on his wrist grew incredibly hot and began to burn brightly. Mac made a grab for Merida’s arm to try and push her off him, but she countered him quickly by throwing her body against his, clutching his shirt tightly.

The glow coming from his mark then burst into a blinding light. And when it receded, Mac and Merida saw that they had been transported to the town lake. The others that had been marked were there with them as well, with the Dark Ones now completely surrounding them.

“So, this is really it.” Henry then said bleakly.

“I’m afraid it is lad,” Hook said as came out from behind the Dark Ones, an irritatingly wide grin on his face.

Merida quickly pulled out and fired an arrow at Hook before Mac could even react. Hook, of course, caught it effortlessly and looked at Merida with a raised eyebrow.

“Will ye stop it wi' the arrows!" Mac exclaimed as he grabbed Merida’s arms and pulled her bow down while also trying to push her to get behind him.

“Have to say, I do feel bad for you mate,” Hook said as he casually threw the arrow over his shoulder and walked closer to them, “You could be sitting on a throne right now as King of your land and I could be sailing the high seas as Captain of my ship. If only we hadn’t been weak enough to be distracted by a pretty face.”

“Aye, that may be true.” Mac said as he swiftly pulled out his sword, "Tae bad I ha' tae much honor, aye?"

“Well that doesn’t matter now,” Hook said as he gestured a hand towards the pond, “Look, the S.S. Purgatory.”

Everyone turned around the see a horrific and ghostly fog roll into view, with a robed figure rowing a boat in the distance.

“Mom! Dad! Henry!” Emma then exclaimed as she ran past the dark ones and into her family’s arms. “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay.” Snow said comfortingly.

Regina then bravely walked up to Hook, “It’s time to drop the act.”

“Merida, go now,” Mac said as he began to push her away, trying to get her to take advantage the brief distraction Regina was creating.

“No!” Merida exclaimed as she gripped his arm tightly, "I'm no' leavin', so stop pushin' me away!"

Mac looked over to see the boat getting closer. "If ye leave, it willnae be cowardly-"

“Says you!” Merida spat back.

Gods above she was still being so stubborn, and it looked like Regina had made no progress in snapping Hook out of his maddening state. Mac felt the desperation of the situation begin to creep in.

Fine, if being good and loyal wasn’t working, then perhaps it was time to start doing the opposite. He’d call her useless, moronic, an ill-fit ruler, that he was just trying to save her to clear his conscience and nothing else. They were all lies, but anything to keep her safe was his priority right now.

However, a dark green skinned woman interrupted his thoughts as she took her place at Hook’s side.

“No, you’re not taking away the people I love!” Emma yelled as she stepped towards Hook, but the women simply held up a hand, and Emma began choking.

All of the heroes now began to struggle as they wanted to step forward and help out or at least fight back, but some dark magic was now keeping their feet stuck to the ground.

Mac’s instincts kicked in as he shielded Merida with one arm while his sword was poised in the other. His eyes darted to each of the cloaked figures, daring for one of them to step forward. Merida wasn’t having any of it either though as she threw her bow on the ground and pulled out her sword as well.

Miraculously though, Hook then turned around and sucked the Dark Ones back into the sword, before handing it to Emma, claiming that she needed to kill him in order to save her.

Despite the severity and intenseness of the situation, Mac couldn’t help but be dumbstruck.

In this supposed land without magic, fevers and diseases were fixed with injections of strange medicines, meals were made from little boxes with no hunting required, and the dark woods were carved back and covered over with strange rocks. Death and danger were kept very much at bay here.

Yet somehow magic was still a daily occurrence in this town, which was something that made Mac very uneasy. Mac didn’t trust magic at all, as it called to rely on something that you couldn’t see or control. Mac had taken the bracelet out of desperation, but according to the stories Henry had told him, this family had been tangled up with it for years now, with only short lived victories to show for it. How could they still believe it would make anything better?

And that’s when Emma ran Hook through with the sword.

* * *

 

Mac and Merida awkwardly stood in the back of the group as Healers came to collect Hook’s body, still unsure if they should leave or stay out of respect. Mac took the opportunity to pull back his sleeve to check his wrist.

“Is the mark gone?” Merida then asked as she stepped closer to him.

“Aye.” Mac said as he showed her the bare skin, “Crisis averted.”

"Good. Was afraid I was gonna have tae jump in tae save yer sorry arse."

Mac smiled. "Aye, like I'd let ye. An' when I got down there, King Fergus woulda beat me tae a pulp fer leavin' ye alone, an' then kicked me back up here."

Merida laughed lightly before it turned into a deep sigh.

“This place…is really…something.”

Mac nodded in agreement. “Memory stealing dream catchers, Knives that control powerful dark beings, something called microwave burritos. Trust me, you really haven’t seen anything yet.”

The corner of Merida’s mouth quirked up before she looked over to Emma, who was still crying in the arms of her mother (which was still a hard concept to fully wrap around).

“I can’t help but feel sorry for her.” Merida then said, “She did a lot of terrible things to me, but it’s a cruel fate to have to kill someone you love so dearly.”

“Aye, but at least she knows where he is.”

Merida’s eyebrows knitted together. “Is that what that stupidly heroic act was all about?”

Mac shook his head. Wasnae an act. I was supposed tae find ye, an' bring ye home, safe." Mac swallowed thickly, "So far, I've failed half of tha' mission."

Mac’s jaw clenched tightly as he was haunted by the memory of their hug. How he had felt her body shake as he held her, and how she had hastily wiped back the few tears she had shed when he had finally set her back on the ground. Not to mention she had looked so much thinner and paler than she had been at her coronation ceremony, the last time he had seen her before their reunion.

"So, I need tae make sure I dinnae fail the second half o' it, aye?" Mac finished before he got too caught up.

"Ye cannae blame yerself! We were up against all powerful **Dark Ones** ," Merida tried to reason, but it fell on deaf ears, “So don’t feel guilty--”

"It's my duty." Mac hastily interjected, "After tha' Southern King vanished, I made a vow an' I dinnae intend tae break it."

“You’ve done more than I asked for,” Merida then argued. "Ye dinnae have tae choose when the Witch came, an' ye really didnae need to get swept up in tha' curse."  
Mac looked at her in confusion.

“Belle told me.” Merida quickly answered.

Mac closed his eyes to keep his rising anger down. “She shouldn’t have told you.”

"M'glad she did. I wasn't fer believin' her when she telt me you were here lookin' fer me."  Merida crossed her arms, "Why didn't ye say?"

"...It was my duty."

"'Cause you always avoid attention." Merida snorted in disbelief. "What's goin' on? Why did ye no' tell me?"

Mac was tempted to just lecture her about what duty and protocol of a sworn Laird to the Queen meant, but he knew that would only bring them back to this never-ending circle until she got the ugly truth out of him. So, he settled for telling her a half-truth right now.

"No offense, but it's none of yer business. We should be thinkin' o' tryin' tae get ourselves back home."

Merida’s eyes narrowed. She could look dissatisfied all she wanted, but that was all she was going to get out of him.

“Fine. But, I want you to understand that, no matter what, we go home together.” Merida then rolled back her shoulders and clasped her hands behind her back, “So, as your Queen, I hereby order you Lord Cothric Macintosh to stay by my side, alive, until we are both back at Castle DunBroch.”

Mac smiled, here she was in a faraway realm, wearing a soiled dress, with bags under eyes and stray leaves still stuck in her hair, and she could still act like a Queen.  
With such boldness coming from her, Mac had no hesitation in dropping down on a knee in front of her and bowing his head.

“If that is what my Queen asks, then so it shall be. I vow it on my title, my Clan, and my sword.” Mac then extended a hand towards her.

Merida took a deep breath before she brought out one of her hands and gently placed her fingertips in his hand. Mac then brought her hand forward and lightly kissed her knuckles to seal their promise.

As soon as his lips touched her skin, Mac was suddenly reminded of his youthful days when he used to do everything in his power to make her blush, whether it was flexing his muscles, showering her with some extravagant courtesies, or placing a long firm kiss to the back of her hand. He used to get such an enjoyment of seeing her flush so hard, that her skin matched her hair as the proud princess scrambled to find words that would have the same effect on him, all the while trying to hide her face.

When Mac looked back up to her face though, Merida’s cheeks remained pale as she gave him a small tight smile, one that was struggling to stay on her face. It wasn’t just the smile though; all her body language was cautious and careful.

But it was to be expected after what he had done to her. And Mac couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed that he had wasted so many years that he would never get a chance to see her as a blushing maiden again.

However, when Merida then pulled him back up to his feet, she didn’t release his hand immediately but instead gave it a light squeeze.

And in that fleeting moment, Mac couldn’t help but feel, as the Charmings’ liked to say, hopeful.


End file.
